Ducati Superleggera V4 is the best that contemporary motorcycle engineering can express. It is the dream that comes true. 

The result of the most innovative research on materials dynamics and engineering. A search that reaches its fulfillment when the bike is brought to the track and tested by the pilot who can finally feel the most intense emotions.

“It’s a very powerful emotion. An endless wonder. First of all, the pride in being part of such an important project. And then the sense of dedication and meticulous attention in trying to transform technical and mechanical excellence into performance never seen before in a production motorcycle”.

The collaboration of Ducati designers with Alessandro Valia, official Ducati pilot and tester, translates into extraordinary sensations. The work of dynamics and re-design of the components creates a balance of chassis never realized before. The extremely high complexity of the technological equipment is geared towards simplifying riding.

“The first ride was amazing. First of all for the braking, coming out of the pits at Mugello I arrived at the first corner and I realised that I didn’t have to brake that much. Then you can clearly feel that the bike tends to follow lines autonomously. It’s a very rare feature that gives you great peace of mind and allows you to forget about the technical aspects, fully focusing on your riding style.

The work on the chassis has yielded extraordinary results. It’s incredibly fluid when you change direction”.

Agility is also enhanced by total stability. Thanks to the work done on aerodynamics, the vertical load given by the wing appendixes glues the bike to the ground, allowing a less incisive intervention of the traction control on the delivery.

“This bike has an impressive acceleration. But the most disarming characteristic is that you feel absolutely at ease, in full control of the bike. Thanks to the aerodynamics package you can open the throttle all the way, especially coming out of corners, without worrying about the bike doing a wheelie.

The impact of the wings was particularly evident to me when we tried it at Portimao, a track that has continuous variations in slope at full speed. But especially on the climb before the straight, where all bikes naturally tend to go into a wheelie, this one stays firmly on the ground, totally stable and with a solid grip. A stability that allows you to keep the throttle open just when it’s most important”.

The vertical load helps to improve the feeling of security, a feeling that helps the driver to be repeatable, to express the maximum according to the ‘Performance Redefined’ approach, totally Ducati.

“When you ride a GP or SBK the first impact is the surprise of feeling how easy it is to ride it. The exact same feeling I have with the new Superleggera V4. We have built a motorcycle that is both extreme and intuitive. For those who want to experience the feeling of pushing the envelope with every acceleration and every corner.

What really amazes me is the feeling of safety conveyed by the bike. Despite the impressive power-to-weight ratio it remains agile and intuitive. It’s truly a bike designed to empower riders to express their best. During testing I rode a lap on this bike at Mugello in 1:52:45. That’s just 2 seconds less than Pirro’s Panigale that won the CIV SBK. And Superleggera V4 is completely street legal: I was able to honk goodbye to some mechanics of the GP teams at Mugello that day after having recorded that time. You can imagine the looks on their faces”.

More than fifteen track sessions dedicated to the development of this bike have been organized. At each session different mappings were tested, to refine the calibration of dynamics and engine to the point that it was practically impossible to improve it.

“We paid a lot of attention to engine management. We worked to find the best relationship between the throttle grip and the power delivery. We wanted to define the unique character of this bike. And we definitely succeeded.

Riding it is a dream. Unequalled agility. Power full of character. All you can feel is the pure emotion of speed”.

Superleggera V4 is a Ducati project in every way, in which we have tried to respond to the unknowns with engineering, overcoming the limits of feasibility and transforming lightness into the total emotion of speed.

Discover the interviews with the Ducati engineers who designed and built the bike of your dreams!